


Welcome to the Family

by Vialana



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Gen, Voltron Week 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2016-08-12
Packaged: 2018-08-08 07:01:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7747786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vialana/pseuds/Vialana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This wasn’t quite how she expected things to go when she finally found her family.</p>
<p>For Voltron Week 2016 on Tumblr<br/>Day 3 Prompt: Home/Family</p>
            </blockquote>





	Welcome to the Family

**Author's Note:**

> Set vaguely in the future

The first time Pidge found herself pacing front of the in-use healing pods, she had been eagerly anticipating hearing information about her missing family. The next few times had been distressing, waiting for her team mates to open their eyes after rough battles that almost left them shattered.

This time, the achingly familiar silhouettes of her father and brother lay stiff within the frosty pods. It didn’t take long for her pacing to fall into hunched stillness as she sat in front of the pods, staring at them as though willing them to open with her desire alone.

“It’ll still be hours yet, Pidge,” Shiro said as he entered the room behind her. He barely made any noise when he walked, but she’d grown used to the subtle sounds of his breathing and the faint whir of his prosthetic. He didn’t surprise her when he spoke up. Nor did the warm hand on her shoulder. “You should get some sleep.”

“I don’t think I could,” Pidge confessed. She tilted her head back to look up at Shiro. “Will you sit with me?”

Shiro blinked, as though the request surprised him. Why should it? He was the only other person on this ship who had known her family – he’d saved her brother from a horrible death. He was her leader and friend and he made her feel safe.

Shiro smiled and tucked himself in beside her, draping his human arm over her shoulder and pulling her close.

Pidge relaxed into the hold and closed her eyes.

She still wouldn’t be able to sleep but now she wasn’t so cold and nervous.

Pidge kept her eyes closed as each of her team mates crept into the room one by one as the hours passed, feeling the room grow warmer with each new body snuggled close. Hunk sat on her other side draping his own arm over Shiro’s. Keith and Lance behind her, their constant bickering subdued to the occasional poking finger that sometimes missed its mark and made Hunk squirm. Pidge wasn’t quite as ticklish but she was glad when Shiro whispered at them to calm down.

When Allura entered, she knelt in front of Pidge and held Pidge’s hand between her own. Pidge opened her eyes to the Princess’ smile.

“It’s time,” Allura said and all the paladins stilled, waiting for Pidge’s signal.

For some reason, Pidge couldn’t move. This was everything she had been working towards for over a year but now she was frozen, heart trapped in her throat and all thoughts vanishing with Allura’s words.

“Pidge.” Shiro’s fingers on her chin drew her gaze to him. “It’s okay. We’re here.”

And that was why she needed him here.

Pidge let a huge breath escape, shaking out of her stupor and looking each of her team mates and Allura in the eye with a smile before looking over at Coran by the pods and nodding.

“I’m ready.”

It seemed to take an age after Coran opened the pods for either of the men inside to move.

Matt’s fingers twitched before he blinked his eyes open, squinting at the bright light of the healing chamber.

“Someone dim the lights please,” Shiro said and Keith hastened to the control panel by the door.

Matt’s head snapped to stare at where Shiro’s voice originated, eyes wide. “Shiro?” He squinted, unable to confirm his identity with his near-sightedness despite the dimming of the lights. “Is that really you?”

“Yeah, it is. And there’s someone else who wants to see you.” Shiro moved closer, pulling Pidge along as he did so. She was frozen, staring at her brother as he raised his stiff arms to help the blood circulate.

Matt smiled as Shiro drew close enough to see more clearly and his gaze dropped to Pidge and he gasped. “Katie?”

Uncaring of the fact he’d spent days in a healing pod and his body was probably screaming at him to avoid sharp and sudden movements, Matt leapt forward to kneel in front of Pidge and hug her tightly.

“Katie, oh my god. You’re here. I missed you. I missed you.” Matt buried his face in her shoulder and started crying.

Pidge clutched him just at tight and let the tears run down her face. “Me too. But I got you back. You’re safe now.”

They embraced for a long time, the rest of the paladins and Allura and Cora looking on with their own tears and smiles for the reunited siblings.

The two only broke apart when a scream echoed through the chamber; Pidge’s father was curled up in his pod trying to scratch the skin from his arms.

 

***

 

A day after her brother woke, Pidge found herself in the healing chamber again, staring up at the single pod still in use. Matt lay on the floor with his head in her lap; his spare glasses, once Pidge’s accessory, now back on his face where they belonged. She ran her fingers through her brother’s hair and looked over when Shiro came in to check on them again.

“Still nothing?” he asked once he sat down beside Pidge.

Pidge shook her head. “Coran has been tweaking the diagnostic settings but he still can’t find anything. So, it’s probably psychological rather than physiological damage affecting him.”

“Right.”

They’d tried for over an hour to calm Commander Holt down, to convince him he was safe, but not even Pidge or Matt could get through to him in his state. To stop him from harming himself or anyone else, Coran had reformatted his pod for cryo-sleep and Shiro and Keith had to hold him down inside the pod as Coran initialised it.

Pidge had been distraught, clutching at Shiro and almost lashing out until Matt held onto her and told her that their father hadn’t been well for some time. Then she just broke down in his arms, clutching at the only family member in reach as though she never wanted to let him go again.

She was calm now. She’d known, even in the moment, that Shiro and Coran had made the right call.

It still hurt.

Despite her aching heart, she placed her hand over Shiro’s where it lay in the floor and squeezed.

“Thanks for being here,” she said. “And for saving them.”

“It was a team effort.” Shiro tried to wave it off. Pidge scowled up at him and he shook his head, smiling at her. “And I made a promise.”

Pidge nodded and turned back to her father’s cryo-pod. “We’re going to beat Zarkon.”

“Damn straight.” Pidge and Shiro both jumped at Matt’s declaration. He opened his eyes to look up at them. “And I want to help.”

“Matt––” Pidge started to protest but she knew the resolute look in her brother’s eyes. She saw it in the mirror every day since loosing him. “Fine. But I forbid you from getting killed.”

“Right back at you.”

Shiro laughed. “Well, with two Holts on board we’re definitely going to get the job done.” Shiro held out his hand and Matt sat up and turned to take it in a handshake. “Welcome to the team.”

This wasn’t quite how she expected things to go when she finally found her family, but Pidge couldn’t imagine a better sight than Matt’s hand clasped in Shiro’s welcoming grip.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Tumblr under[ ladyvialana](https://ladyvialana.tumblr.com/)


End file.
